Hampshire League

Last updated

Hampshire League
Founded1896-2004
CountryEngland
Feeder to Wessex League
Relegation to Southampton League
Portsmouth League
Bournemouth League
Isle of Wight League
North Hants League
Aldershot League
Domestic cup FA Cup
FA Vase
Hampshire Senior Cup
Hampshire Intermediate Cup
Local Divisional FA Senior Cups

The Hampshire League was a long running amateur football league in Hampshire, England.

Contents

The competition ran for 108 years, until it was absorbed the expanding Wessex League in 2004. It has since been succeeded by the Hampshire Premier League with a recognised place on the FA Pyramid system.

History

The Hampshire Football League was formed in 1896 to provide an organised fixture schedule for clubs within the county. [1]

The inaugural campaign saw eight teams taking part with the first ever fixture being played on Saturday 5th September 1896 between Eastleigh Athletic and Freemantle, who won a thrilling match 5–4 with a player called Inglefield scoring the first ever goal! The first-ever league champions were Cowes. [2]

Originally administered by the Hampshire Football Association, the fledgling competition was initially split into regional sections with an end of season play off to decide the champions, but numbers grew and eventually the league formed three larger divisions with straight forward promotion/relegation. [3]

The post-war era saw the Hampshire League at its prime, [4] consisting of many strong clubs destined to later progress further up the pyramid whilst the Reserve and ‘A’ sides of Southampton, [5] Portsmouth, [6] Bournemouth, [7] Reading [8] and Aldershot also took part for many years. The strength of the league was well indicated by the performances of its clubs in national cup competitions. [9]

By 1986, most of the top clubs had become semi-professional and left to join the newly formed Wessex League. [10] Along with their Dorset and Wiltshire counterparts, the Hampshire League became a feeder in a revised pyramid system.

To keep pace with the modern ground grading criteria, in 1999 the top-flight was renamed as the Premier Division, for which only clubs with the required facilities were allowed entry. [11] In 2004 it was agreed to dissolve the competition and become part of the expanding Wessex League. [12] Vosper Thornycroft were the last champions. [13]

Successor competitions

League champions

League Cup winners

Clubs

Final Tables 1993-2004

Achievements by clubs in national cup competitions

During its 108-year existence, the Hampshire League was done proud when represented by its member clubs in the national cup competitions, especially in its heyday as listed below, when clubs frequently progressed past the early qualifying rounds:

FA Cup

FA Trophy

FA Vase

FA Amateur Cup [29]

Historical position within English football league system

The following table shows the position of the various Hampshire leagues within the English football league system:

Print

References

  1. ↑ Association Football in Hampshire until 1914 by Norman Gannaway
  2. ↑ Hampshire Football Association Centenary History 1887-1987 by Norman Gannaway
  3. ↑ A History of the Hampshire League 1896-1996 by Norman Gannaway
  4. ↑ A Tabulated History of the Hampshire League by Stephen Farmery
  5. ↑ Southampton - The Complete History of the Club by Peter East
  6. ↑ 'Pompey - The History of Portsmouth Football Club by Mike Neasom, Mick Cooper & Doug Robertson
  7. ↑ Cherries First Hundred Years - This History of AFC Bournemouth 1889-1999 by Kevin Nash
  8. ↑ Reading FC Versus the Rest 1920-2007 - The History of The Royals by Dave Twydell
  9. ↑ The FA Cup Club by Club Record Since 1945 by Tony Williams
  10. ↑ https://www.wessexleague.co.uk/history
  11. ↑ https://www.fchd.info/lghist/hants2000.htm
  12. ↑ https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5592690.hants-league-accept-wessex-expansion-plans-as-inevitable/
  13. ↑ https://sholingfc.co.uk/club/history/
  14. ↑ https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/17986978.thornycrofts-took-mighty-burnley-fa-cup/
  15. ↑ https://fchd.info/THORNYCW.HTM
  16. ↑ https://fchd.info/RYDESP.HTM
  17. ↑ https://www.islandecho.co.uk/ryde-sports-the-biggest-isle-of-wight-football-club-to-have-folded/
  18. ↑ https://fchd.info/NEWPOIOW.HTM
  19. ↑ https://www.niowfc.com/club-info/club-history
  20. ↑ https://fchd.info/WATERLOV.HTM
  21. ↑ https://fchd.info/ALTONT-1.HTM
  22. ↑ https://www.altonfc.com/history
  23. ↑ https://fchd.info/THORNYCA.HTM
  24. ↑ https://fchd.info/GOSPORTB.HTM
  25. ↑ https://fchd.info/SHOLINGS.HTM
  26. ↑ https://fchd.info/HAVANTT.HTM
  27. ↑ https://fchd.info/WINCHESC.HTM
  28. ↑ https://winchestercityfc.co.uk/club-info/our-history
  29. ↑ https://www.fchd.info/cups/amcupsummary.htm
  30. ↑ https://www.royalmarinesfootball.com/history
  31. ↑ https://fchd.info/RMLIGOS.HTM
  32. ↑ https://fchd.info/BOURNEGA.HTM
  33. ↑ The Complete F.A. Amateur Cup Results - by Richard Samuel
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